Zimbabwe, formerly Rhodesia, is a mid-sized landlocked country at the heart of Southern Africa. Rhodesia was so named by British settlers in 1895, in honour of the imperialist-adventurer Cecil Rhodes. Two main ethnic groups held the land before the settlers' arrival: the Shona and the Ndebele (Matabele), an offshoot of the Zulus who arrived in the area in 1838.

Chimanimani mountains - Credit: Darell Plowes

The Limpopo River to the south forms the border with South Africa; in the northwest the Zambezi River, incorporating Lake Kariba and the Victoria Falls, forms the border with Zambia. A range of mountains and highlands including Mt Inyangani (2,592m/8,504ft) and the Chimanimani Mountains mark the eastern border.

Although it's been years since I lived here, Chimanimani (which used to be called Melsetter, after the Orkney town) remains stuck in my mind as that central reference point from which all other places radiate. It lies in an isolated valley along the eastern border with Mozambique, nestled in the crook of a winding range of glittering granite mountains from which the village now takes its name. Peter Godwin Zimbabwe Situation report

Nyanga - Credit: Darell Plowes

Peter Godwin was asked, "What is your favourite place in the world?"

Probably still on the Chimanimani Mountains - gazing up at the jagged granite peaks above, wreathed often with wisps of clouds, and sweeping views down over the eastern highlands at the rolling countryside; or further north from World's View in Nyanga; or maybe in late summer, the hypnotic sight from Devil's cataract of the might Zambezi river in full flow, tumbling over the lip of Victoria Falls. Pan Macmillan Interview, 2005

Umtali, now called Mutare, is Zimbabwe's fourth largest city, with 170,000 people.

Close to the border with Mozambique, the town began life as a fort. Gold was found nearby, attracting the first white settlers, and in 1896 a railway was constructed between Bulawayo and Beira on the coast, passing through the Mutare area and raising the importance of the new town.

Today, the city is sometimes seen as the Gateway to the Eastern Highlands.

Zimbabwe has a rich diversity of flora and wildlife, much of it concentrated in the country's private reserves and national parks. At the time of Mukiwa, visitors could be assured of seeing any number of elephants, lions, rhinos, giraffe and antelope. However the collapse in law and order and the breakdown of food supplies have led to poaching on a massive scale. Since 2001, the World Wildlife Fund estimates, up to 80% of all wild animals on "reclaimed" farms have been slaughtered.